The Bolton striker, recalled to the Les Bleus team in the absence of a number of forwards including Thierry Henry and Louis Saha, grabbed the goal his overall performance deserved when he drove home a 20-yard shot 16 minutes from time.

France just about merited the win, although a bobbly pitch did nothing to aid the standard of football on show, which was scrappy for the majority.

The result means the French keep pace with Scotland, who beat Georgia 2-1 a few hours earlier, at the top of the pool - both sides are now on 12 points after five games.

Les Bleus coach Raymond Domenech, who had stressed the importance of the game throughout the last two weeks, sprung something of a surprise by selecting inexperienced and uncapped Chelsea midfielder Lassana Diarra in his line-up.

Anelka was also handed a start as the sole striker in a 4-5-1 formation, and he was France's most dangerous player in a drab first half.

The temperamental former Manchester City frontman linked up well in the 15th minute with Florent Malouda, whose cross from the right channel just evaded the inrushing Sidney Govou.

After Lyon winger Malouda had dribbled a shot straight at goalkeeper Zydrunas Karcemarskas, Anelka got on the end of a Govou flick-on in the 17th minute but his shot on the turn was tipped round the post.

France were largely in control, with a solid but negative central midfield of Diarra, Claude Makelele and Jeremy Toulalan in complete domination.

But there was no real inspiration in that department and Lithuania, who had only threatened once in the opening 10 minutes when Tomas Danilevicius dragged a long-ranger wide, finally came into the game in the last 10 minutes of the half.

Their best chance fell in the 37th minute from a left-wing set-piece, but Arunas Klimavicius - all alone about 10 yards out - got his header all wrong and it looped harmlessly wide of Gregory Coupet's post.

In first-half injury time, right-back Willy Sagnol had to put in a desperate, last-gasp tackle to block Danilevicius' goalbound shot from 10 yards.

The desperate state of the terrain had done nothing to help matters, and both sides struggled to get any fluent passing movements going on a bobbly surface that proved to be something of a leveller for the hosts.

France, however, regained their composure at the start of the second period, with Malouda and Anelka still the liveliest players on the pitch.

The latter, enjoying a strong season with Bolton in the Premiership, should have put the visitors in front on the hour mark but he lifted Govou's cut-back over the bar from six yards.

Minutes later, Malouda tested Karcemarskas' reactions with a 20-yarder, but the custodian was up to the task.

The goal Anelka richly deserved arrived in the 74th minute, the striker picking up the ball 30 yards out, driving forward in a direct manner and thrashing a 20-yard shot into the corner.

Lithuania's best chance in the final 15 minutes came when Lilian Thuram deflected Igoris Morinas' shot just wide of his own goal.

But France were hardly troubled apart from that and with the central-defensive partnership of Thuram and William Gallas as impenetrable as they were in Les Bleus' run to the World Cup final last year, they held on fairly comfortably.

Domenech will be delighted to have negotiated what was on paper a tricky away game without the likes of Henry, captain Patrick Vieira and playmaker Franck Ribery in his line-up.

He should now blood a few more uncapped players, such as Frederic Piquionne and Samir Nasri, in Wednesday's friendly against Austria at the Stade de France.